Meta Knight's Past
Part 8: Revealed
Sir Meta Knight (well, that's what he had to get used to now) followed Lost Warrior to a seaside cliff, not very far from where he met Sword Knight. Sword said he wanted to see him, so he obediently trailed after the warrior.
"So, Lost Warrior, what exactly did you want to talk about?" he broke the silence.
"Well, I want you to remember exactly the beginning of your life," he prompted. "To see if you can find out if where your name came from."
Sir Meta Knight thought really hard, and started from the very beginning, to when he was just Meta, even before that, and then he had a flashback.
There was a dark, alleyway almost completely lifeless, except for a little blue puffball. He was only, (too long to remember! Um…) maybe two or three, but it would appear he was dead, due to lack of breathing. His mask was too big for his face, and his cape was too big for him.
"Are you alone, little one?" a voice asked. The puffball's yellow eyes opened, and he tried to stand, but he tripped on his own cape.
"You don't look like much of an orphan, do you?" a bigger puffball, more of a knight, but it was too dark to see what he looked like. "Do you know anyone around here? Do you know where you are?"
The orphan shook his head.
"Oh, I see. You're lost. Well, there's a place for orphans like you, Meta."
(So, he gave me the name Meta!)
Sir Meta Knight was in shock. "Someone knew my name was Meta."
"Not just that. They took you to the orphanage, too. And-", he turned to him, "Didn't Meta have a little book with him in there?"
"You're right. I should find out, but I'd better be careful, right, sir?"
Lost Warrior nodded. "Your immaturity has gotten you in deep peril. Be very careful." And Sir Meta Knight ran off, certain of where he was going.
The woods were bigger than he'd remembered. The trees were wider than he was, the bushes nearly four times as thick as he was, and they certainly towered over his miniscule size was. He dreaded looking up when a crow cawed over head, because the whole world was mocking him. I bet every single orphan towers over me even now. He thought, shrugging. I haven't grown a bit! I can hear them now… "Hey, look! It's wittle Metal!" And they'd laugh…And the staff, "Well you've grown a few inches." I bet I grow slower than the entire world….
He peered out of the bushes toward the orphanage, and saw everyone else taller, and maturer. Curse you, Nightmare! He thought, frustrated. And to make matters worse, they were playing soccer. Soccer, as everyone knows, involves kicking a ball around. It was his least favorite sport for that very reason. I absolutely loathe that sport! Lemme guess, they're doing it in my honor. He could hear nearly every word, and he regretted it.
"If Metal was here, he'd be the size of a pinhead!" the oldest boy declared.
"Yeah, and we'd have to be careful not to step on him!" his comrade added.
"He'd probably get eaten by a bug!" the one girl who got him in trouble agreed.
I'm not the size of a pinhead! Sir Meta Knight screamed mentally. And besides, I'm a knight, now!
"Are those the bullies you mentioned?" Sword whispered behind him. His British voice came all of the sudden, Meta Knight almost jumped out of his blue skin.
"Umm, yeah," he answered slowly. "See how big they are?"
"...They're not that big." Sword started, but then he remembered that his master was shorter than he was. "Oh, right. I guess they are big. But that's not important! Something-"
"Children!" one of the staff called. "Something happened near the square! Come, quickly!"
Sir Meta Knight snuck through the woods, Sword Knight just behind. Finally, they came to a crowd of people. It was a bit easier for him to get around, given his small size. Then a sudden realization of what happened hit him like a baseball bat.
A crater nearly the size of a small building, but as deep as a basement, stood before him. And at the center of the impact, was none other than Galactica Knight himself. Why, he must have impacted after Lost Warrior defeated him! The fiendish knight was moaning, and he looked around.
"So... My adversary...comes to see me... as I lie here?" he announced. Everyone else looked puzzled.
"Sir, who do you mean by 'adversary?'" someone asked. Then Galactica Knight pointed his lance at Sir Meta Knight.
Gasps drowned the air.
"Isn't that the orphan who went missing nearly 8 years ago?"
"He couldn't have done anything like this! He's too small!"
"What was his name? I think it started with a 'M'!"
"That's Metal!"
"Where was he all this time?"
"Metal!" the older boy shouted. "Just who do you think you are?"
"There's only one thing wrong with your theory..." Sir Meta Knight started. "I don't know who exactly you're talking about." He bit his tongue trying not to scream "His name was META!"
"You're just lying like usual, Metal!" the girl argued.
"No." Sword defended his master. "Sir Meta Knight is right. 'Metal' is probably still out there. Or maybe we saw his body-"
More gasps filled the air.
"Metal died?"
"How could this happen?"
"I've never heard of such a thing!"
"This 'Sir Meta Knight' resembles Metal, doesn't he?"
"Is he a descendent of him?"
"Puffballs don't grow that fast."
"How would you know?" the boy argued again. "If Metal's dead, then the body should still be there!"
"We take walks in the city every week!" the girl backed up the boy's theory.
"Does this Metal"-Sir Meta Knight pulled out Galaxia and more gasps were added to the flood-"wield Galaxia? I'm new here; enlighten me."
"He has Galaxia!"
"How did he get it?"
"The cave collapsed 5 years after Metal went missing!"
"He must have gotten a hold of it!"
"Metal was always interested in swords like that!" the girl started again. "He even hurt some one with a wooden one, too!"
"If what you say is true," Sword went on. "Why did Galactica Knight fall from the sky?"
"Well, he's weird like that! I remember his eyes glowed different colors, and he wore a mask and a cape, like you!"
There's no way out of this. It'll just go on for hours and hours. "I don't think Metal could get this big…?"
"He has a point!"
"Metal was too small!"
"This 'Sir Meta Knight' is mysterious!"
"I wonder if there is a link between him and the orphan's disappearance."
"There must be!"
"But there's another thing," someone added. "Metal wouldn't have gotten that far. A small guy like him would still be in the city."
"And you appear all of the sudden! That means you must at least know Metal!"
"But he doesn't," Sword started. "Sir Meta Knight wanted to find out what happened here. And I'm not from around here any way."
"Where were you born, or do you actually remember?" someone asked.
"In a frozen wasteland, but I'm not sure if I know my parents," Sir Meta Knight lied. But it's not a total lie. I technically was born in that glacier. And Sword and Lost Warrior would agree, right?
"Metal didn't look like he was cold at all."
"He seemed well-fed."
"Yeah. He was picked off the streets."
"Sir Meta Knight's story checks out!"
Whew, thank goodness that's over! Now no one-
"Prove it."
Sir Meta Knight's heart stopped. "Why-"
"If he's from a cold place he has to be freezing. Someone has to see if he's cold or not."
"I'll do it," the boy from the orphanage volunteered. "And when I prove you're lying I'll-"
When he touched Meta Knight's shoulder, his skin suddenly turned blue!
"W-W-w-w-w-w-w-w-what-t-t-t..." he shivered.
Sir Meta Knight was puzzled. Am I really that cold?
Duh! You've been encased in a glacier for six months, remember? As a result, your heart is solid ice, cold-hearted warrior! So you feel no cold, but everyone else thinks you're freezing! That came in handy.
"He isn't Metal after all!"
"Metal's still out there, then."
"Sir Meta Knight was telling the truth!"
"Finally," Sword whispered. "It's over." Meta Knight nodded.
